13 MANHATTAN MANSIONS You Were Never Supposed To See Inside
Schmancy
36,773 views
Behind some of Manhattan’s most intimidating doors are the remains of a world most New Yorkers were never supposed to see.
In this video, we step inside 13 extraordinary Manhattan mansions built for some of the wealthiest families of the Gilded Age and early 20th century. These were once intensely private homes filled with marble staircases, grand ballrooms, private art galleries, elaborate gardens, servants’ quarters—and rooms reserved for a very carefully selected circle of guests.
But Manhattan changed.
Today, many of these former private mansions have become museums, cultural institutions, schools, diplomatic buildings, hotels, luxury stores and other public spaces—meaning we can finally get a glimpse behind doors that were once firmly closed to almost everyone.
We’ll explore magnificent homes including the Andrew Carnegie Mansion, Henry Clay Frick House, Felix M. Warburg House, Otto H. Kahn House, James B. Duke House, Payne Whitney House, Villard Houses, Rhinelander Mansion, Morton F. Plant House, Joseph Raphael De Lamar House and more.
From Fifth Avenue and Museum Mile to Madison Avenue, discover the architecture, extravagant interiors, wealthy families, scandals, art collections and surprising second lives of some of the greatest surviving mansions in New York City.
The families may be gone. The private parties are over. But somehow, more than a century later, we finally made it inside.
Which Manhattan mansion would you most like to explore? Let me know in the comments.
Subscribe to Schmancy for more stories about Old New York, Gilded Age mansions, old-money neighborhoods, historic architecture, quiet wealth and the hidden world of luxury NYC.
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13 MANHATTAN MANSIONS You Were Never Supposed To See Inside
13 MANHATTAN MANSIONS You Were Never Suppo...
10 Comments
The other thing I found interesting about this video is that they didn't mention that Ralph Lauren was awarded the Key to the City by Mayor Bloomberg for tearing down a nondescript modern building across the street from the Rhinelander Mansion which houses the Men's Department of Ralph Lauren to build the Women's Department directly across the street -- it's a stunning building that looks like it belongs in Paris and is worth the time to visit just to see the building itself.
If Ms. Rhinelander never moved in to that beautiful mansion-it has something to do with a man for sure. It definitely sounds like something a proud woman would do (I won't step foot in there after he and __ did. Or maybe she hooked up with a closeby neighbor and was too embarrassed she'd bump into him after their one night stand, oh i mean love affair pardon me.
On another note my all time favorite retail location is the ABC Carpet store on 19th n Broadway. Not a mansion but one of those lovely 19th century wrought-iron buildings..and it has way more than carpets, also has a nice restaurant..It was once huge..i could spend hours there, (great restrooms too) but for some reason after covid they downscaled to half the space. It's so disappointing, but still love that place. If they ever make it into another stupid bank like all my favorite shoe stores are, Id lose my dmn mind..anyway with Love, a real New Yorker
13 MANHATTAN MANSIONS You Were Never Supposed To See Inside
Schmancy
36,773 views
Behind some of Manhattan’s most intimidating doors are the remains of a world most New Yorkers were never supposed to see.
In this video, we step inside 13 extraordinary Manhattan mansions built for some of the wealthiest families of the Gilded Age and early 20th century. These were once intensely private homes filled with marble staircases, grand ballrooms, private art galleries, elaborate gardens, servants’ quarters—and rooms reserved for a very carefully selected circle of guests.
But Manhattan changed.
Today, many of these former private mansions have become museums, cultural institutions, schools, diplomatic buildings, hotels, luxury stores and other public spaces—meaning we can finally get a glimpse behind doors that were once firmly closed to almost everyone.
We’ll explore magnificent homes including the Andrew Carnegie Mansion, Henry Clay Frick House, Felix M. Warburg House, Otto H. Kahn House, James B. Duke House, Payne Whitney House, Villard Houses, Rhinelander Mansion, Morton F. Plant House, Joseph Raphael De Lamar House and more.
From Fifth Avenue and Museum Mile to Madison Avenue, discover the architecture, extravagant interiors, wealthy families, scandals, art collections and surprising second lives of some of the greatest surviving mansions in New York City.
The families may be gone. The private parties are over. But somehow, more than a century later, we finally made it inside.
Which Manhattan mansion would you most like to explore? Let me know in the comments.
Subscribe to Schmancy for more stories about Old New York, Gilded Age mansions, old-money neighborhoods, historic architecture, quiet wealth and the hidden world of luxury NYC.
*********
13 MANHATTAN MANSIONS You Were Never Supposed To See Inside
13 MANHATTAN MANSIONS You Were Never Suppo...